The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1887-12-14
MELTING TRADE DOLLARS.
CHANGING THE REDEEMED COIN
INTO SILVER BRICKS.
How the Work was Performed at
the Assay Office in New York
The Last MELT

the Assay Office in New York
The Last "Melt."
On a recent Friday afternoon the last
"melt" of the 3,405, 533 trade dollars,
which have been received at the United
States Assay Office in Wall street since
the act of Congress authorizing their
purchase went into effect was completed
and the limpid silver was poured into
the molds and transformed into silver
bricks, 1,100 to 1900 ounces in weight.
A "mclt" of silver at the Assay Office
means 5000 ounces. Therefore, in order
to make way with the whole number of
this three and a half millions of trade
dollars about seven hundred "melts "
were necessary. A reporter chanced to-
be present and stood near the crucible
when these last representatives of dead
currency slowly lost their individuality
and became shapeless glittering mass.
What ls denominated an Enclosure
in one of the vaults of the Assay Office,
contains over 400 cubic feet of trade dol
lars which have passed through the
crucible and are now stacked up in the
shape Of silver bricks. The Govern
ment has paid about So, 400, 900 for them,
but they are useless, Superintendent
Andrew Mason says; and unless made
into standard dollars, of which there is
now such q surplus that the Treasury
Department cannot find storage room for
them, loss of about 25 per cent would
be sustained in disposing OF the metal to-
manufacturers and artisans. The fur
nishing of gold and silver bars for man
ufacturing purposes is, Superintendent
Mason says, q growing business at the
Assay Office. During the past year these.
bars, to the value of $4,000, 900, have
been sold for use in arts and manufact-
ures, an increase of 81, 200, 900 over any
previous year.
When the last "melt" of the trade
dollars had been poured into the molds~
and made into brick, the reporter OBJ
served that two small quantities, per-
haps of grain or two each, were put
into little receptacles and sent to the
assaying-room "These," explained AS
sistant Assayer J. T. Wilder. "are the
samples for assaying. Two arc taken
from each melt They are each assayed
by different persons and their work must
tally. If it does not the work is repeated.
If the two assays still fail to agree the
whole melt is remelted and fresh samples
taken. Then the process is gone through
with again.
"The greatest care Is taken," said Mr..
Wilder, Ito guard against inaccuracies.
The assaying is done by the Gay Lussacr
method. The exact amount of metal is
Ill lso,o1yol -, - ons1
Then enough chlorine is added to pre-
cipitatc precisely drachm of pure sill
yer. The solution is then shaken for
three minutes in a shaking machine (run
by steam), after which it is allowed to-
settle. More salt water is added, every
atom of which is taken account of, and
If any silver remains in solution. it shows
slight cloudiness. The operation is
repeated until no cloudiness appears,
showing that no silver remains in solu-
ton; that it has all been precipitated.
Then calculation is made as to the ex-
act fineness OF the samples Of silver in
the trade dollar, which is corrected by
silver proofs. When the fineness is thor
oughly ascertained it is stamped upon
the bar or brick which has been formed
by the melted dollars. together with the
value, weight, melt number and number
of the bar. Then the bar or brick is
sent to the Enclosure before mentioned,
where the other trade dollar bricks are
kept under a combination safe lock. The
combination of this, as we'll as of the
other safe locks in the building, is known
only to Superintendent Mason and one
other trusted official" NeW York 7ri-
6uae